wever, drawing his
silver-studded sword, sprang upon Pisander; but he drew from beneath his
shield a handsome battle-axe of well-wrought brass, fixed upon either
side of an olive handle, long, well-polished; and at once they struck
each other. Then he (Pisander) cut away the cone of the helmet, thick
with horse-hair, under the very crest, but (Menelaus smote) him,
approaching, upon the forehead, above the root of the nose. And the
bones crashed, and his blood-stained eyes fell at his feet upon the
ground in the dust: and falling, he writhed. Then he (Menelaus) placing
his heel upon his breast, despoiled him of his armour, and boasting,
spoke [this] speech:

"Thus,[438] then, shall ye abandon the ships of the Greeks, who possess
swift steeds, ye treaty-breaking Trojans, insatiate of dire battle. Of
other injury and disgrace ye indeed lack nothing with which ye have
injured me, vile dogs, nor have ye at all dreaded in your minds the
heavy wrath of high-thundering, hospitable Jove, who will yet destroy
for you your lofty city; ye who unprovoked departed, carrying off my
virgin spouse, and much wealth, after ye had been hospitably received by
her. Now again do ye eagerly desire to hurl destructive fire upon the
sea-traversing ships, and to slay the Grecian heroes. But ye shall yet
be restrained, impetuous as ye be, from war. O father Jove, assuredly
they say that thou excellest all others, men and gods, in prudence, yet
from thee do all these things proceed. How much dost thou gratify these
insolent Trojan men, whose violence is ever pernicious, and who cannot
be satisfied with war, equally destructive to all! Of all things is
there satiety,--of sleep, of love, of sweet singing, and of faultless
dancing, with which one would much more readily satisfy his desire, than
with war; but the Trojans are insatiate of battle."

[Footnote 438: _I.e._ by being slain one after another.]

So saying, having stripped the bloody armour from the body, illustrious
Menelaus gave it to his companions, whilst he, advancing, was again
mixed with the foremost combatants. Then Harpalion, the son of king
Pylaemenes, who had then followed his dear father to wage war at Troy,
leaped upon him; nor returned he back to his native land. [He it was]
who then, close at hand, struck the middle of Atrides' shield with his
lance, nor was he able to drive quite through the brass; but he retired
back into the crowd of his companions, avoiding death, lookin